Never Forget the Crystal Mountain Massacre
by TwilightSparkle3562
Summary: Equestria's Princesses and Citizens gather in the Crystal Empire to remember one of the darkest days in its history when King Sombra ordered a mass execution of ponies in the Crystal Mountains... *Written at Super Speedy Cider Con 2016 in Knoxville, TN.


Disclaimer: I do not own "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" or its characters. They are property of Hasbro Studios and DHX Media.

"Never Forget the Crystal Mountain Massacre"

By TwilightSparkle3562

1,000 YEARS EARLIER: CRYSTAL EMPIRE

Colonel Brave Soul and his comrades had attempted to do the impossible in order to save their empire: they tried to rid the Crystal Empire of their most hated leader, King Sombra. However, the plot had failed and now they were going to be facing the consequences.

"If you have any last messages to your wives and foals," said King Sombra's arresting General as he paced back and forth in front of the captives. "I will hear them now."

The captives said absolutely nothing and only responded to the questions by staring at him with glares of pure anger, knowing that they were going to stay defiant to their cause to the bitter end.

"Very well," replied the officer as he stared at the captives, their uniforms dirtied and their faces and manes marked with wounds in their last valiant stand against their captives. "The court martial convened by me in King Sombra's absence will pronounce sentence. Heavy Armor, you're under arrest. Colonel Lion Heart, General Iron Heart, Lieutenant Heavy Artillery and the Colonel whose name I will not mention are condemned to death."

"General Law Enforcer, my orders were to take these ponies alive," said another young officer.

"Noted Major Loyal," replied Law Enforcer and after a brief silence, one of the captives looked up towards Law Enforcer and gave a rather unusual request that was befitting to only those seeking a quick and painful death.

"I'd like a pistol please," asked Heavy Armor, much to the shock and surprise of Law Enforcer. "For personal reasons."

Heavy Armor used his magic and pulled out a small pistol from his holster, giving it to Heavy Armor by placing it on the table next to him and the other captives. General Law Enforcer didn't matter if this particular pony was willing to sacrifice himself for his captives. He was going to die anyway regardless.

"Get on with it," he remarked.

"With all due respect, sir…" Major Loyal started to say, only to be cut off sharply by his superior officer.

"That will be all, Major!" interrupted Law Enforcer, sharply.

"Killing us won't hide your involvement," said General Iron Heart to the stern sound Law Enforcer.

"My involvement?" sneered General Law Enforcer. "I don't know what on earth you are talking about."

"He's guilty as any of us," whispered Lieutenant Heavy Artillery. "Just admit it."

But, Law Enforcer didn't care and certainly didn't want to hear any of it from these once loyal officers of his evil and dark hearted king.

"Spare me, Lieutenant," he said bitterly.

"Nopony will be spared," whispered Colonel Brave Soul as Heavy Armor took his captor's pistol into his magical aura and placed it at the back of his head, ready to pull the trigger. However, before Heavy Armor decided to end it all, he set about giving one final glance towards his comrades.

"I'm thinking of earlier times," he whispered, thinking back to the moment when the Crystal Empire was an Empire of Unity and Magic under its previous ruler before Sombra took over. Closing his eyes, Heavy Armor put the pistol to the back of his head and pulled the trigger, causing a loud popping sound to come from the gun as he fell to the floor, dead.

A little while later, the captured ponies were forced into a large herd of captive ponies, all chained together with King Sombra's hulking and sinister guards led them away from the Crystal Empire towards a large valley not far away. The valley was large, it was covered in heavy snow and it was a perfect place to dump the bodies of those who defied Sombra and his ideals.

As they were led with the other captives, Brave Soul and his comrades looked up towards a cliff overlooking the valley and saw the pony they tried to exterminate standing on top of it. Sombra looked down at the large crowd of captive ponies and smiled, knowing that he was going to be doing something he enjoyed and that was killing ponies that betrayed everything he stood for. Brave Soul took notice and let out a sharp glare.

"One day, King Sombra," he thought. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will put an end to your reign of terror once and for all. If you think killing us will protect you from them, you are wrong. They will punish you and end your despicable reign on us forever!"

Brave Soul's thought were soon interrupted when one of Sombra's guards used a baton to force Brave Soul to look away from the evil king. Still, Brave Soul stood his ground and was not going to simply give in to his leader's way of life. He and his comrades were going to die not as captives, but as matyrs.

Once the prisoners were herded into the valley, King Sombra looked across the cliff towards several squads of soldiers with their horns glowing a sickly green aura from their horns. Knowing that this was the end, Brave Soul looked back towards his comrades one last time.

"We fought hard my friends," he said to them. "We tried our best to save our empire from King Sombra. But, I can assure you that we will be remembered as the ponies who took a stand for the glory of Equestria. Look them in the eyes and show them that you are not afraid."

Heeding this highly important advice, the small group of Equestrian patriots did as their friend and leader told them to do and looked up at King Sombra as he prepared to sound the call.

"MAKE! READY!" he shouted to his soldiers on the other side of the cliff as they got their magic firing horns into position and aiming right at the captives.

"AIM!" shouted Sombra, raising his front leg into the air as the magic from the soldier's horns grew bigger and stronger. Finally, Brave Soul took a deep breath and let out a sharp cry for Sombra to hear.

"LONG LIVE SACRED EQUESTRIA!" he screamed as Sombra gave the order to fire on the captives.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled the soldiers and the relentless blasts of dark green magic fell on the captives for ten agonizing minutes. Some of the captives died instantly, others took longer than normal. Brave Soul and his comrades were soon hit and as their lives came to an end, they looked up at Sombra with angry glances, knowing that even though that they may have failed to overthrow him themselves, the Royal Sisters would…

1,000 YEARS LATER

The site where the massacre took place was still filled with death as Equestria's four Princesses and their subjects arrived at the memorial of those who had been killed that fateful day. Today was nothing like any other day in the history of Equestria for it was the thousandth anniversary of the massacre that galvanized the Royal Sisters into ending King Sombra's rule once and for all.

"We must never forget the brave lives that were lost that fateful day 1,000 years ago," said Celestia as they all stared at the valley where the massacre took place. "May those who were killed here continue to be remembered as heroes who gave their lives trying to make a stand against evil, against hatred and against everything that the honor and glory of Equestria stands for."

Celestia took the wreath that she had been holding with her magic and placed it down on the memorial that had been erected in honor of Brave Soul and those who stood against Sombra. The entire crowd was silent in reflective remembrance aside from several ponies who were so overcome with emotion that they were crying softly as Celestia laid the wreath down at the memorial.

At that moment, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, the two co-rulers of the Crystal Empire, came forward to place their own wreath next to the one Celestia had placed. This wreath was decorated with white ribbon and the words "NEVER FORGET" were placed in the center.

"May the story of your heroic sacrifice live on forever," said Princess Cadence as she and Shining Armor looked down at the two wreaths. "And may we all look to the day when we are all reunited with you in the great beyond."

At that moment, Shining Armor saluted the memorial as the crowds of ponies silently dumped flowers and other memorial items into the valley. Only the sounds of a lone trumpeter playing "TAPS" were heard.

Soon, the ceremony was over and the ponies departed, but only Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight remained at the memorial.

"We must remember to understand what we must do as princesses of Equestria," sighed Celestia to her fellow princesses. "To fight and defend the liberties that Equestria holds dear to its heart."

The other princesses nodded and after a few moments, they all left to return to the Crystal Empire, but not before Celestia had one final parting set of words she needed to say.

"May you continue to live on our memories forever," she said, placing one of her wings on the memorial and silently reflecting on what had transpired. Soon, Celestia backed away and they all left to return to the Crystal Empire, leaving the souls who perished that fateful day to rest in peace forever…


End file.
